King Charles III and his eldest son, Prince William, jointly attended the Service for the Order of the Bath amid ongoing family drama.
Charles, 76, and William, 42, attended the regal ceremony at London’s Westminster Abbey on Friday, May 16. The service is held once every four years to recognize individuals’ exemplary service to the British monarchy and install new Great Masters and Knights of the Grand Cross.
Charles, as the king, is the Sovereign Head of the Most Honorable Order of the Bath, while William was previously named a Great Master of the Order.
Friday’s outing comes on the heels of lingering family drama. Both Charles and William have been estranged from Prince Harry in recent years. (Charles shared his sons with late ex-wife Princess Diana.)
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The Duke of Sussex, 40, and wife Meghan Markle stepped down from their posts as senior working royals in 2020 to settle in Montecito, California. The decision sparked tension with his relatives back across the pond.
The drama has only continued during Harry’s security fight. Earlier this month, Harry lost his lost his latest appeal to have his government-funded security restored in England.
“I can’t see a world in which I would bring my wife and children back to the U.K. at this point,” Harry, who shares 6-year-old Prince Archie and 3-year-old Princess Lilibet with his wife, told the BBC. “I love my country, I always have done, despite what some people in that country have done.”
While Harry was saddened by the court setback, he was also open to a potential family reunion down the line — especially amid Charles’ ongoing cancer battle.
“I would love reconciliation with my family. There’s no point in continuing to fight anymore,” he added to the BBC. “There have been so many disagreements between myself and some of my family.”
Neither Charles nor William has publicly addressed Harry’s court verdict or the familial estrangement.
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“The whole institution is concerned that if Charles reaches out any conversations and information would be splashed across the American press,” a source exclusively told Us Weekly earlier this month. “Harry did what his mother did and it’s impossible to come back into the fold after that. So, everyone around Charles isn’t keen on him reaching out to Harry. They understand it’s a father-son relationship, but the family is so complicated, and issues of the monarchy often supersede personal relationships.”
A second insider, meanwhile, told Us that William and his wife, Princess Kate Middleton, won’t give Harry and Meghan “the time of day.”
“William is more hurt than anything else,” the second source told Us. “The first step is to stop talking to the public about private matters. They don’t see a path forward until Harry can stay quiet.”
